She's heeeeeeere....

Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan has landed! Tickets are still available for the San Francisco workshop, so get registered! Go to http://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/ to see the details. Not only do you get to hang out with Annie, you get to meet me! HA!! Seriously, this event is going to be amazing!

I love Annie Sloan Chalk Paint so much, I decided to dedicate a dresser to it. Here it is currently sitting in my office...

Graphite with clear and dark wax. Decoupaged copies of paint can labels applied to drawers!

I'm off to meet up with fellow Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Stockists in New Orleans to kick off the tour. I'm sure I'll have some great pics to share when I get back!

So while I'm gone, you know what to do....go create something beautiful.

Seek perfection in imperfection....

That's what I always tell my workshop students. They are so afraid of not painting perfectly, so timid when first starting out. I get it, it's really hard for us, especially living in Southern California. We have the illusion of perfection surrounding us constantly. I have luckily received the gift of seeing through all of it and embracing imperfections. I love them, I actually seek them out when looking for furniture pieces to paint. The more nicks, scrapes, and bumps the better. I know those pieces have a story! The imperfections add character that cannot be duplicated with factory made furniture.

I was flipping through the first few pages of Annie Sloan's book, Quick and Easy Paint Transformations, and came across this passage:



I thought to myself, "BRILLIANT!". I'm so glad she and I think alike, as Annie Sloan is one of the people on this planet I admire. 



The look and feel of Annie's paint, and the patina the waxes create are what I love. They don't require perfection. The pieces actually look better when you just let everything happen spontaneously. I can easily change what my initial intention was, without reservation, because the product is so easy to work with! 

So let go. Be free to create whatever comes to you naturally! No over thinking. Please, just try. Deal?

While we're at it. I think we can apply this philosophy of "seeking perfection in imperfection" to people also...

No, he's not perfect. But I bet he made you smile!

Paint melamine without priming and sanding? Of course!

So I saw this untapped beauty hiding and sulking in the corner of a consignment shop, lacking confidence and begging for a makeover. She was your typical white and yellow melamine piece that is found at thrift stores and garage sales everywhere. These girls have great lines! Often very feminine and have a look to them that only French women possess.

Her veneer is slightly shiny and slick. Now, normally you would have to sand her down and prime her before painting. But we're talking Annie Sloan Chalk Paint here! No sanding, no priming, really...no kidding. I painted right onto her using two coats of Paris Grey, with one coat of Cream applied to the decorative details. I sealed her with a coat of clear wax, followed with some dark wax and a little distressing. She was then ready to meet the world with the new "je ne sais quoi" she had acquired!

Here she is now in all her gorgeousness...

She's still feeling a little bit shy, so you only get a leg shot. You can meet Melanie(yes, they do have names!) and see her entire figure in person at Country Roads in Old Town Orange, California. Oh, and tell her "bonjour" for me!

Now go create something beautiful.

And the winners are...

The winners of the Annie Sloan Workshop Tour ticket giveaway are: Melissa Gomez of http://www.shabbyloco.blogspot.com/ and Madeleine Pearce!

Congratulations and see you both there!